BMW has been selling diesel engine cars in the European market for twenty-three years, while the US market has only been getting gas engines (except for the brief availability of a 5-series diesel in the mid-1980s). Two-thirds of their sales in Europe now are diesels and in 2008 they will be coming here. BMW diesels offered in the US market will be fifty-state legalClick Read to see the full BMW press release (thanks autobloggreen.com)

What Should We Do With All This Power? Forbes has advice for "Enviros." "First you get the money, then you get the power, THEN you get the woman." ...sorry, that's Scarface :D Here is the advice. "The biggest mistake [would be] for the environmental community and its allies in the Democratic Congress to overreach, get ahead of themselves." » original news

ADM to expand 7 plants to boost biodiesel production Archer Daniels Midland Co. will expand seven plants in North America to increase biodiesel production. The expansions at the plants five that crush soybeans and two that crush canola will be completed in mid-2008.

"The Great Lakes basin is one of the most important freshwater ecosystems on the planet - holding one fifth of the world's freshwater," said the report's author Dr. Elaine MacDonald. "Yet, the 20 cities we evaluated are dumping the equivalent of more than 100 Olympic swimming pools full of raw sewage directly into the Great Lakes every single day."

The Great Lakes Sewage Report Card is the first ecosystem survey and analysis of municipal sewage treatment and sewage discharges in the Great Lakes basin.

The report grades cities on issues such as collection, treatment and disposal of sewage based on information provided by each municipality.

The report documents that many cities in the region have antiquated systems for collecting and treating sewage and regularly release untreated sewage into local waterways.

MacDonald estimated that the 20 cities evaluated, representing a third of the region's 35 million people, dump more than 90 billion liters (23.7 billion gallons) of untreated sewage into the Great Lakes each year.

"Without a significant innovation in cellulosic biomass like plant stalks and wood chips, the biofuels market is likely to falter, or at least lack the pace necessary to satisfy a significant percentage of demand..." According a report by BioWorld Today, which bills itself as the daily biotechnology newspaper.

The report said that while ethanol is the market placeholder today, cellulosic ethanol represents the evolution of the technology into the immediate future of six to 40 years.

"Corn cannot conceivably handle the displacement of gasoline in the US anymore than crop-based ethanol can keep pace with global gasoline consumption without running out of steam," the report added.

Oil squeezed from soybeans and oil palm are being used to produce biodiesel. In both the cases of ethanol and biodiesel, the prices for the feedstocks like corn and sugar have soared.

The BioWorld report said ethanol production in the United States topped the 1 billion gallon annual production mark with 1.1 billion gallons in 1992, and that production is expected to rise to around 4.3 billion by end of 2006.

The report said it is possible that corn farmers may be unequipped to handle the demand for biofuels feedstock if the ethanol market grows by triple digits over the next two years, as may be the case, according to the current growth rate.

Not only did U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases increase by only 0.6 percent in 2005 (the usual increase is 1.0 percent), but carbon dioxide emissions increased by only 0.3 percent. Despite disruptions in energy production and a suppressed energy demand, the U.S. economy grew by 3.2 percent.

While the U.S. share of world carbon-dioxide emissions is projected to fall to 19% from 23%. global emissions are expected to increase 2.1% per year, with China's emissions expected to grow twice as fast. By 2015, China would pass the United States as the top emitter

Europe's emissions are expected to grow 0.7% annually between 2003 and 2030...

Voller Energy Group PLC said the successful integration of its fuel cell processor and 1kW fuel cell system ahead of schedule, enables it to remain on track to commercially deliver a 1kW fuel cell system by the end of 2007. » original news via- hugg.com

Best Sitting Posture Is Not Straight Up "Researchers at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland used a new form of magnetic resonance imaging to collect images from 22 healthy volunteers, who assumed three different sitting positions: slouching posture in which the body is hunched forward, an upright 90-degree sitting position, and a relaxed position where the subject reclined backward 135 degrees. They concluded that the reclined position is the best, and the forward slouch the worst." From the article: "'We were not created to sit down for long hours, but somehow modern life requires the vast majority of the global population to work in a seated position,' Dr. Bashir said. 'This made our search for the optimal sitting position all the more important.'

Nov 28, 2006

WDNR Report: 96.6 percent of water systems had no health-based drinking water violations MADISON - The vast majority of Wisconsin's nearly 11,500 public water systems in 2005 served safe water that ... Read Full Article

A new nightclub in Amsterdam is creating new moves in environmentalism...literally. Plans are underway to open the first nightclub powered by dancing generated electricity. Sound crazy enough to work? It is... » original news

Private wind developers looking to erect wind turbines in Lake Ontario and other major lakes have been told by the Ministry of Natural Resources to put their plans on hold. Source: Toronto Star (VIA glrppr.org).

Reuters: Two-thirds of Chinese cities face water shortages, state media reported on Friday, one of the top problems facing the rapidly urbanising landscape. More than 400 cities had water shortages, with 100 of them "in serious trouble", lacking enough water to support industry or daily life, the China Daily quoted an unamed official from the Ministry of Water Resources as saying. The problem was compounded by pollution, with 45 billion tonnes of untreated waste water pumped ... Link EcologicalInternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry)

Global Energy Options and H to-go claims to have done testing on a variety of engines ranging from a Chevrolet pickup with a 5.3L V-8 to a Freightliner truck with Detroit Diesel engine and seen improvements in fuel efficiency ranging from 33 percent to almost 73 percent....

Residents determined to recycle in the coming weeks will need to drop off their blue plastic bags at the city yard after a weekend fire there knocked out the facility where recyclables are separated from the general trash collection before the garbage heads to the landfill, Bill Kappel, Wauwatosa's, WI director of public works, said today. Recyclables picked up during regular trash routes will go to the landfill -- if the state Department of Natural Resources grants a city exemption requested today -- until the transfer station operation can be restored, he said. A five-alarm fire late Saturday caused about $400,000 in damage to the refuse building at the yards, at 11300 W. Walnut St. More than 50 firefighters from seven communities responded. (Source: http://www.jsonline.com)

Nov 27, 2006

In the early 21st century, it's become clear that air pollution can significantly reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth, lower temperatures, and mask the warming effects of greenhouse gases. Climate researcher James Hansen estimates that "global dimming" is cooling our planet by more than a degree Celsius (1.8°F) and fears that as we cut back on pollution, global warming may escalate to a point of no return. Regrettably, in terms of possibly taking corrective action, our current understanding of global dimming has been a long time in the coming, considering the first hints of the phenomenon date back to 18th-century observations of volcanic eruptions. Below, follow a series of historic events and scientific milestones that built the case for global dimming.�Susan K. Lewis

Thanks to Spencer Weart of the American Institute of Physics, whose book The Discovery of Global Warming made this feature possible. A hypertext version of the book can be found at www.aip.org/history/climate/

Laki Eruption Cools Europe 1783 Benjamin Franklin went a step further in 1783, proposing that a massive volcanic eruption of the Laki fissure in Iceland caused months of unusually cold weather in Europe.

WWII Spurs Aerosol Science 1940s Before scientists could even be in a position to suspect such a subtle phenomenon as global dimming, they had to gain a better understanding of aerosols, particles suspended in a gas.

Cloud "Seeding" Attempted 1950s In the 1950s, various government and commercial groups began exploring whether it would be possible to "seed" clouds with silver iodide smoke and other substances in order to make rain and control local weather. The widespread cloud seeding efforts ultimately had very limited success.

Pollution's Far Reach 1960s In the 1960s, however, experts began studying how microscopic particles could linger longer and travel farther. Experts set up networks of monitoring stations to regularly measure atmospheric turbidity, commonly known as haze.

Ice Cores Reveal Past Trends Late 1970s-early 1980s Looking at ice cores from Greenland spanning hundreds of centuries, scientists repeatedly saw telltale signs that giant volcanic eruptions of dust and sulfuric acid were followed by cooler temperatures in subsequent years.

Early Computer Climate Models Mid-to-late 1970s Early computer models came to the same tentative conclusion. Human-made aerosols, they found, were contributing to cloud formation, increasing the planet's reflectivity, and causing a modest cooling.

Dinosaur Extinction Theory Early 1980s In 1980, Walter and Luis Alvarez proposed that a giant asteroid striking Earth 65 million years ago had sent enough debris into the atmosphere to cool the planet and kill off the dinosaurs.

Shipping Lane Clouds 1987 In 1987, when satellite photos revealed persistent clouds over areas of the oceans used as shipping lanes. Smokestack exhaust from ships, dense with sulfate aerosols, was creating clouds that likely reflected sunlight and decreased the solar energy warming the ocean surface.

Pinatubo Confirms Climate Models 1991 By the mid-1990s, most scientists agreed that human-made aerosols were acting like an ongoing volcanic eruption, and that air pollution had likely been masking the impact of global warming for decades.

Indian Ocean Study Late 1990s The study, called Project INDOEX, found that over northern regions of the ocean, where pollution streams in from India, a pollutant layer nearly two miles thick cut down the sunlight reaching the ocean by more than 10 percent�a far bigger effect than most scientists had thought possible.

Dimming Recognized Worldwide Mid-1980s to present In the mid-1980s, when meteorologist Gerry Stanhill reported that he found that other scientists had measured declines of 9 percent in Antarctica, 10 percent in areas of the U.S., 16 percent in parts of Great Britain, and almost 30 percent in one region of Russia. Alarmed by the trend, Stanhill coined the term "global dimming."

Using "Green" is the latest crazy by celebraties and millions of new "greenies" to make "gr$$n", now a group of self-proclaimed "ecobabes" are posing for a pinup calendar. The 12 female pseudo"environmentalists" were photographed -- fully clothed, for the most part -- in an effort to raise money for the Climate Protection Campaign of Sonoma County and seduce the public into reducing greenhouse gas emissions... San Francisco Chronicle Link

Power Generation unit, is one the companies working on the Department of Energy's Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA). They've built a 5 kW system using their solid oxide fuel cell that's been operating for 2,800 hours and is still going. The main requirement of the DOE program was to develop a fuel cell that could run for 1,500 hours with no performance degradation. Siemens is going to keep running the cell to determine the ultimate lifespan, and efficiency. Delphi is also part of the program, and a fuel cell that they developed had 7 percent degradation in power output over the 1,500 hour time span. Siemens is claiming that the power density of the new cell is for times greater than their previous tubular fuel cell design. This is the first of three phases of the DOE program, which will run over a ten year period. A 5 kW system is obviously not designed for automotive applications but hopefully some of the things that Siemens has learned can be applied to portable fuel cell designs.

In the U.S. election earlier this month, did you vote for or against corn ethanol? While ethanol may not have been on the ballot in so many words, the shift from Republican to Democratic control of Congress has had a lot of fallout in the green car world. One effect is the change of authorship of the upcoming reauthorization of the 2002 farm bill. As Forbes' Jessica Holzer tells us, the bill was slated to be written by Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, "two Republican southerners with soft spots for cotton, peanut and tree farmers," but will now be written by corn belt Midwestern Democrats Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa. And these two will likely give the ethanol industry everything it wants, even though it gets a lot already. The "constellation" of government support Holzer writes about includes the "tariff on imported ethanol, subsidies for growing corn and blending the fuel, crop insurance and a guaranteed market: The Energy Act of 2005 required refiners to ramp up ethanol use from 2.5 billion gallons last year to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012."

How could the government support an industry even further? A raise in the ethanol subsidy is possible, as is a grant program to help ethanol plants switch to using renewable energy. And funding for cellulosic ethanol research is also possible. This ethanol industry needs all of this government support, Holzer writes, because "Wall Street's support of ethanol would dry up in a flash without all the government support."

"The EPA's professional staff objected strongly, insisting that closing the libraries would hamstring them in their jobs. In a letter to Congress protesting the closures, public employees said, 'We believe that this budget cut is ... to reduce the effectiveness of the US Environmental Protection Agency, and to continue to demoralize its employees.'" » original news

The risk of adult-onset asthma is more than double for workers employed in offices with plastic wall-lining. This conclusion emerged from a case-control study in southern Finland examining the work and home environment of 521 asthmatics and 932 controls. The researchers suggest that the association is a result of increased exposure to the phthalate DEHP in work environments that have used materials containing polyvinyl chloride, which can be as much as 40% by weight DEHP. More...

Prenatal exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos is associated with developmental delays in children and attention deficit hyperactivity problems. The proportion of New York City 3-yr olds showing delayed development was five times greater in the higher exposure group. Pediatrics. More...

It's estimated that one tenth of one percent of the heat produced in the earth's crust would provide enough energy to meat global requirements for 13,500 years. The United States also has vast amounts of geothermal energy particularly in the west which, if it could be harnessed, would provide a means of generating large amounts of electricity without greenhouse gases or hazardous wastes like nuclear power.

Much like Bio Fuels, Electric Cars & Hybirds have been around for nearly a century. The only thing that has change is “Eco-Marketing”. No seriously, people take credit everyday for someone else’s ideas. There have been passive energy generation devices that are equally inefficient. If they utilized power better, everyone would have designed one.Do a simple google or patent search on anything that appears to be a new “Eco Idea”…. Most often you’ll find the “new” device is the name and marketing company.

While you should watch out for the new generation of “EcoScams”, I think it is AWESOME that so many people are looking for greener solutions and I support ALL companies that offer truly innovative, safer & environmentally sound solutions.

EPA looking into the safety of E20 and E30, Those little stickers announcing that the fuel you're about to put into your tank contains up to 10 percent ethanol are getting pretty ubiquitous, aren't they? But pumps that can dispense E20 or E30 are less common, and they may never take off because the EPA is worried that the higher ethanol content in the fuel can damage cars that are not equipped to deal with the biofuel. Since these "blender pumps" operate the same way as standard gasoline pumps and customers might inadvertently put them in non-E85 ready vehicles, the EPA is stepping in to stop them from operating in some areas, like South Dakota. The EPA is researching whether 20 or 30 percent ethanol-blended gasoline meets Clear Air Act standards and how it affects engines.

Rocky Mountain Institute is looking for a new CEO-- yeah really ; helping Wal-Mart double the efficiency of its heavy truck fleet by 2015, saving more than $300 million per year; supporting the State of Hawai'i in transforming its energy strategy; educating utility investors to shift from polluting power plants to cheaper, faster, healthier, climate-safer choices; reinforcing progress in aviation, heavy-truck, and military adoption of key recommendations in RMI's Pentagon-cofunded 2004 study, "Winning the Oil Endgame" ( http://www.oilendgame.com ) - a roadmap for eliminating U.S. oil use by the 2040s and revitalizing the economy, all led by business for profit; and redoubling those off-oil implementation efforts in automaking and biofuels. Pretty dern impressive.... » original news (via hugg.com)

New research shows that fish, birds and mammals in New England have significant amounts of mercury in their bodies. The reports find the toxic metal in some unexpected places -- such as rare birds that live on high mountaintops. The findings suggest that power plants in the Midwest are a major source of mercury for the Northeast...[more] This article requires the ability to listen to the report.

Three Wisconsin biofuel companies have been awarded a total of $4.8 million in federal research dollars, or more than 27% of the total awards nationwide. The money has come from the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture. Clean Tech Partners, of Madison, received $1.5 million to develop methods for stabilizing biomass materials. Lucigen Corp., of Middleton, received $1.3 million to develop enzyme products for converting soybean meal to ethanol. Virent Energy, of Madison, received $2 million for research into biodiesel-fuel production. The total award to Wisconsin, $4,780,800, was more than 27% of nearly $17.5 million in biofuel research grants awarded nationwide this fall. By rbarrett journalsentinel.com

"Schools in the UK are getting rid of their WiFi network, citing health concerns from parents and teachers. The wireless emanations, parents fear, may be the root cause of a host of problems from simple fatigue to the possibility of cancer. No real evidence has been produced to prove that this new technology is safe in the long term. Until it is, I think we should take a precautionary approach and use cabled systems said a grandparent." Link From slashdot.org

Nov 24, 2006

One of the candidates for highly efficient biodiesel production in the coming decades is, of course, algae. GreenFuel just sent its algae-in-the-smokestack to a South African company, and the numbers that Plaza gave for algae biodiesel efficacy mean it only makes sense for us to head in the direction of the little green creatures as soon as it's feasible:

Soy = 40 or 50 gallons of oil per acre per year

Brassicas = 100-150 gallons per acre per year

Palm = about 650 gallons per acre per year

Algae = perhaps 10,000 gallons per acre per year (algae can be harvested every two weeks instead of once a year)

(btw, because algae does "not represent a single evolutionary direction or line, but a level of organization that may have developed several times in the early history of life on earth," the term can refer to simple plants or organisms that are more animal-like)

Nov 23, 2006

Noel Gallagher comments..."environmentalists: Greens are f***ing hippies with no place in the world. They've been telling us for the last 50 years not to use aerosols or the sky's going to fall in. Well - you're the scientists, do something about it. How do you suggest we get 50million Chinese not to have a fridge? Or get 700million Americans to stop using their big stupid cars. The only way its going to happen is if the sky falls in. Until is does, these Greens are wasting their time. I'm glad - because in 50 years time I'll be dead. » original news

Does this seem "extreme"? or am I being objective - Pollution & Global warming was "end of world" news during the 60's and 70's... What happened to the generations of people who cared and loved? They left the future in the hands of politicians and green groups who told them what to buy and how to act "green" (green washing).

Sound familiar yet? Just wait ... The ME gen got frustrated nothing happened and bought 5,000lb SUV's to drive to 3,000 sqft homes 40 miles from work in a subdivision with no forest or trees in sight... got divorced and doubled the "Eco-Impact".

Seriously look at history and what is in the news right now... will they still care in 5 years or stop after the next presidential election as they did in the past...

Will "scientists", do something about it?There are far to many "green" groups & activists...

I am proud that I have worked with real "scientists", regulators (EPA & DNR) during this time who HAVE made a real impact over 20 years.(not climatologists, eco-analysts, activists or self proclaimed environmentalists)

Not because it was "in" or "cool" to be green, but because it is the right thing for the Environment & People (yes we both win).

My father recently passed away... hoping that he & other scientists would eliminate the environmental problems he faced in his lifetime, and if we listen to EHS "scientists", regulators ... "we can fix the REAL problems facing our nation, the world & the environment in MY lifetime.

But, if listen to "greenwashing" we will just look back with the disgust of Noel Gallagher.

"Stephen Forrest, an electrical engineer and vice president of research at the University of Michigan, says his technology increases the light output of the thin, flexible OLEDs by 70 percent." "This means that OLEDs, which are currently used for superbright color displays in a number of applications, are getting closer to being competitive as white-light sources too." This is also interesting; Hydrogen storage goes metal-free. » original news VIA - hugg.com)

How would you answer this poll question: "American automakers produce or sell dozens of car models that achieve over 35 miles per gallon but are not made available to consumers here in the United States. Do you think Detroit carmakers should be encouraged to make available here at home the more fuel-efficient cars they are currently only selling abroad?" If you're like most of America, you'd say "yes."

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Will the Big 3 automakers blow it for a second time by misreading an American public that is expecting gasoline prices to start soaring again soon? As President Bush and Congress continue to huddle with Detroit vehicle manufacturers, a strong and bipartisan 78 percent of Americans want Washington to impose a 40 mile per gallon (MPG) fuel-efficiency standard for American vehicles, according to a new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) national opinion survey to be released on November 21, 2006 by the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI).

Other key findings of the ORC survey include the following:

* Nine out of 10 Americans expect gas prices to go up "in the near future," with nearly half (46 percent) "definitely" expecting a resumption of higher fuel prices.

* 70 percent of Americans are not turning their back on fuel-efficiency concerns and say that they are factoring "expected future gasoline price increases into consideration in thinking about buying a new vehicle."

* Temporarily lower gasoline prices are not sending large numbers of Americans rushing back to gas-guzzling SUV and trucks. In fact, nearly half (45 percent) of Americans are now more likely to buy a "hybrid or other fuel-efficient vehicle" than they were six months ago, compared to 30 percent who are unchanged in their plans and fewer than one in four (24 percent) who are less likely to make such a vehicle purchase.

Even though Honda is dropping the ultracapacitor used in the current version of the FCX fuel cell car in the new FCX prototype, ultracapacitors have and will continue to play an important role in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technology. That's why it's cool news to see that Maxwell Technologies introduced a new 125-volt Boostcap ultracapacitor module last week (called the HTM BMOD0063-P125, not pictured), intended for use in heavy hybrid and electric vehicles.

Able to deliver power and recharge very quickly, ultracapacitors have technically been around since the 1745 and they are ideal for modern use in vehicles that use regenerative braking. Dr. Richard Balanson, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer, said the new Boostcap was "designed specifically to satisfy rapidly growing global demand for ultracapacitor-based braking energy recuperation and torque assist systems for hybrid bus and truck drive trains and electric rail vehicles." VIA autobloggreen.com ultracapacitors

A young company here hopes to clean up in the waste business. BioIonix says it has developed technology that can remove most of the bacteria in various types of liquid waste - from human feces to industrial waste - using electrical current. That means, in simple terms: It could turn poop into potting soil. Source: Madison State Journal VIA - glrppr.org.

An engineering company hired by the Madison Water Utility will investigate what is causing the high levels of manganese in some city wells, with an eye toward providing the city advice on how to avoid the problem mineral in building future wells. Source: Wisconsin State Journal.

Take an inventory of all of the hazardous chemicals you have around the house. Commit to replacing the typical hazardous home cleaners with safer alternatives....

Gather up all of the old cleaners, fertilizers, paint and other chemicals that have been sitting around for a while and that you do not need. Now find the next local cleanup event near you that collects these types of products for proper disposal...

If there are children or pets in the house, it is common sense to verify hazards like chemicals, cosmetics, knives, cleaners, food ingredients and fragile items are properly secured and stored out of reach from the little ones...

Replace all of the antibacterial hand and body soaps around the house with regular versions of these soaps...

Buy a couple of general home use fire extinguishers and place one on each level of the home...

Make sure that there is a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector on every sleeping level of the home...

Devise or review the disaster escape & family meeting place plan...

If you burned a lot of wood in the fireplace or wood stove this winter, have a chimney specialist do an inspection...

Clean the ductwork from the dryer to remove lint...

Do an old clothing and household item purge. Make sure clothing and household items are clean and in good condition...

Make a renewed commitment to recycling paper, aluminum, plastic and other items...

Give the gift of a plant, tree or shrub as remembrance of this important time in your life.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Today the Air Resources Board (ARB), the state agency responsible for cleaning California's air, adopted regulations that will diminish the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in consumer products.

"Technology is developing which allows the refinement of these products so that they are less environmentally damaging," said ARB Chairman Dr. Robert F. Sawyer. "This regulation is the result of a cooperative effort with industry. It provides California with more environmentally sound products while maintaining a level playing field for businesses."

This regulation is part of a series which, by 2010, will reduce consumer product VOC emissions in California by 40 percent. Consumer products are any chemically formulated product used by households or institutions and include: detergents; cleaning compounds; polishes; floor finishes; cosmetics; antiperspirants; hairsprays; home, lawn and garden products; disinfectants; sanitizers; automotive specialty products; and aerosol paints. Research has shown that these products expel 240 tons per day (TPD), or about 11 percent of the state's total VOC emissions. Today's regulations will reduce emissions in California by nearly 12 TPD by 2012.

VOCs, like gasoline, alcohol, and the solvents used in paints, often have a strong odor, and contribute to the creation of ground level ozone and particulate matter. These can lead to respiratory problems, aggravate asthma, impair the immune system, and increase the risk of premature death.

"Through the reduced impact on public health and the related economic burden, all Californians will benefit from this reduction of VOCs," continued Dr. Sawyer.

ARB staff has determined that the total cost for the regulation will come to $20 million per year, or about $2.35 per pound of VOC reduced. Consumers may see a price increase of about 6 cents per unit. Source: http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/nr111706.htm

Both schools have qualified to become Wisconsin's newest Green and Healthy Schools.

The two schools join six other Wisconsin Green and Healthy schools: DePere High School in DePere; the Conserve School in Vilas County; Lakeshore Elementary School in Eau Claire; Port Washington High School in Ozaukee County; Hawley Environmental School and Humboldt Park K-8 School in Milwaukee.

"We're excited to see our Green and Healthy schools develop creative learning activities for students that teach them to care for themselves, their schools and their communities," said Brenda Hagman, who directs the DNR Bureau of Education and Information. "The future of energy conservation and green practices lies with our up and coming generations. It's great to see the kids embrace these values at an early age."

Washburn Elementary School plans to celebrate its Green and Healthy status next April during the Week of the Young Child celebration in Washburn. The celebration will also coincide with Earth Day. Lannon Elementary School plans to celebrate its Green and Healthy status in January. Both schools are now eligible for up to $1,000 in grants to reimburse them for any costs incurred for participating in the program.

People interested in learning about or participating in the Green & Healthy Schools program can find more information on the DNR Web site.

According to a company announcement issued Nov. 1, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is making available a scorecard for manufacturers to rank their packaging use that will eventually determine which companies can continue to sell to them. The move is part of an effort to cut the amount of packaging used by Wal-Mart's 60,000 suppliers.

Release of a test version of the scorecard follows Wal-Mart's announcement in September that it was seeking to cut the amount of packaging used by its suppliers by 5 percent by 2013.

Wal-Mart is inviting its suppliers to use the scorecard to evaluate the environmental impact of current packaging systems relative to other suppliers, based on specific metrics, the company said.

According to Wal-Mart's announcement, the packaging scorecard is weighted as follows:

15 percent for the amount of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide produced per ton of packaging production,

15 percent for how much raw material is being used to create the package,

15 percent for how small a package is used for the product,

15 percent for the ratio of packaging to product,

10 percent for transportation impacts,

10 percent for how much recycled content is in the package,

10 percent for the packaging material's recovery value,

5 percent on whether renewable energy was used to produce the package, and

5 percent for innovation in packaging.

Wal-Mart said that during a one-year trial period, beginning Feb. 1, 2007, suppliers will be able to input, store, and track data in the scorecard and share their results, as they desire. A year later, the retailer will begin making purchasing decisions based upon the scorecard results. More information on the test version of Wal-Mart scorecard for suppliers is available at http://www.scorecardlibrary.com/.

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Optimism and an open mind are the most radical political acts there
are.

We have thousands of energy options that can save our economy and planet without
sacrificing our resources or lifestyles.

The general public only hears of the few options that line the pockets of the
few that result in the suffering of the many.

The public information on this website makes it easy for anyone to clearly
understand how viable and abundant our future can really be.

We are not activists,
treehuggers or politicians...
we are EHS
professionals who have thoroughly enjoyed everything this planet and its people
have offered us and want to extend the quality of life for both.

NOTE: I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article.
And although I often blog about disagreements, it is
VERY important to understand that I agreed more with the ideas of
President Obama and Dr. Chu than disagreed. (it is just part of
democracy, it gives balance and is vital)

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Getting up every morning before 4am... the only thing that looks good is
coffee.

I do not think President Obama regularly drank coffee we he was in senate,

but he may want to try it on his new job.

WARNING: coffee is harmful to the
environment, small woodland animals and people who like to maintain status quo

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There is not enough room to list all...but, Here are a few good ones in no
particular order. The best one would be EHS News
of course ;-)